


The Ballad of Stefen and Vanyel

by Griselda_Gimpel



Category: Valdemar Series - Mercedes Lackey
Genre: Canon-Typical Violence, Fluff and Angst, M/M, Period-Typical Homophobia, Vanyel and Stefen are the patron saints of shaych children
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-15
Updated: 2020-03-15
Packaged: 2021-03-01 01:46:47
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,153
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23157292
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Griselda_Gimpel/pseuds/Griselda_Gimpel
Summary: Vanyel and Stefen are reunited in the Forest of Sorrows only to discover that there is a young shaych girl who needs their help.
Relationships: Vanyel Ashkevron/Stefen
Comments: 4
Kudos: 16





	The Ballad of Stefen and Vanyel

**Author's Note:**

> Special thanks to yourpalmoony for beta-ing this.

It was a lovely Spring day when Vanyel and Stefen were reunited in the Forest of Sorrows. Every bush and tree were covered in flowers or fruit. Every bird that fluttered through the branches overhead called for potential mates. The streams, flush with the melted snow of winter, gurgled with a pleasant melody. The sun in the sky was warm, and the clouds the floated above were fat and fluffy.

Vanyel had watched Stefen, an old, old man, enter as one among the living and disappear among the trees. Then he’d smiled as Stefen, now looking the same age Vanyel had chosen to look, stepped into view, as one among the dead. The Shadow-Lover was with him, clad in the scarlet of a Bard. He had one hand looped around Stefen’s waist. Titling Stefen backwards, he gave him a final, passionate kiss. Then, with an affectionate slap on the rear, he sent him toward Vanyel. The Shadow-Lover’s face was hidden by his red hood, but he waved at Vanyel, and Vanyel waved back, as Stefen called out his thanks behind him.

Stefen stopped just a bare inch apart from him. “Van,” he whispered. “Oh, Van.”

“Stef,” Vanyel answered. “I’ve waited so long to kiss you.”

“You don’t need to wait any longer,” Stefen breathed before his lips met Vanyel’s.

“I’ve missed you,” Vanyel said after their lips finally parted.

“I’ve missed you, too.” He looked Vanyel directly in the eye. “And Van, I remember. I remember being Tylendel.”

Vanyel’s heart caught in his throat. “’Lendel?” he whispered.

Stefen nodded. “I think I like the name Stefen better – I was Stefen longer – but I remember. I remember meeting you and Gala and oh, gods, Van, I’m so sorry. I should never have left you like that. I was stupid and selfish, and I tried to make it up to you the first time I met the Shadow-Lover, but we barely got any time together.”

“Shh,” Vanyel whispered. “I was never angry at you. My heart just ached that we weren’t together.”

“Did you know?” Stefen asked.

“Only at the very end,” Vanyel said. “I finally put it together then.”

“Because of the stuff I kept on saying?” Stefen guessed. “Calling you _ashke_ and all?”

“Mmhm.”

A delightful grin broke out on Stefen’s face. “We-ell,” he drawled, “you should at least let me make it up to you today.”

“An excellent idea,” Vanyel agreed. “As such, I would like to spend the day pampering you.”

Stefen let out an exasperated sigh and then laughed. “Well, fine, but only if I get to spend tomorrow pampering you!”

“It’s a deal,” Vanyel said.

In the decades of living – well, if not living, then existing – in the Forest of Sorrows, Vanyel had gotten a rather good grasp on what the Rules were. He couldn’t leave the boundaries of the Forest. A part of him was aware of everything that happened in the Forest, and he could be anywhere he wished to be at a thought. The Forest, from under the ground to the tips of the trees, obeyed him. He could make himself semi-visible to the living if he chose, but making himself tangible was extremely difficult, and he couldn’t manage it for long. It was for this reason that he couldn’t physically talk to the living, only Mindspeak at them; his lungs were never tangible long enough to take in air. He still tended to go through the motions of breathing – and did so without thinking about it, out of habit – but if he made the conscious effort not to, he suffered no ill effects.

There were two other things Vanyel had discovered. He was provided with any object that he wished, and the pleasures of the flesh served the spirit just as well. He wished for a blanket then and found himself holding one. He spread it on the ground in a clearing where the trees didn’t press together quite so much. Yfandes trotted out of the woods then and laid down on one side of it.

_:I thought I should give you two some privacy for your reunion,:_ she Mindspoke to both of them. _:Or do I need to wander off again?:_ This question came with more than a hint of teasing.

“Hello, ‘Fandes,” Stefen said. “It’s good to see you again. As for your second question, that’s up to Van today.”

“In a bit,” Vanyel promised. “Why don’t you take a seat, Stef? This is going to take a few.”

Stefen sat down on the blanket, and Vanyel wished for a bowl. Then he went over to the edge of the clearing, where the blackberries had fruited. He began “picking” the blackberries off of the bush and putting them in his bowl. None of the blackberries he “picked” actually left the bush, and it was a ghostly berry that went into the bowl, but it would serve just as well. He knew that he could have simply wished for a bowl of blackberries like he’d wished for a blanket and the bowl, but he wanted to let Stefen’s anticipation build.

When he had finished, he returned to the blanket. Taking a seat next to Yfandes, he leaned back against her and set the bowl to his right. He looked at Stefen and patted his lap. With a happy smile, Stefen laid back on the blanket, resting his head in Vanyel’s lap.

“Open,” Vanyel said, taking a blackberry from the bowl. Stefen eagerly obeyed, and Vanyel popped the blackberry in his mouth. Stefen chewed it with an expression of delight on his face and then swallowed.

“Delicious,” Stefen said.

“Would you like another?” Vanyel asked.

“Oh, yes!”

Stefen had eaten several more blackberries when the bandit showed up, waving a sword and shouting at them. They knew he was a bandit because what he shouted was that they should give him all of their money and blackberries and that they should then beg for mercy. He finished by saying that if the begged well enough, he’d graciously let them live as his slaves.

Vanyel paused from his task of pampering his love in order to glare at the bandit. A moment later, the tree nearest to the bandit grew a new branch right through the bandit’s chest. Vanyel had aimed for it to go through his heart, and his aim had been true. He was annoyed by the interruption, but a part of him was thankful for the bandit’s words; it meant that Vanyel hadn’t needed to expend any time discerning his guilt.

Stefen eyed the now dead bandit dubiously. “Let’s shift around so that we don’t have to look at him. He’s ruining the mood, and I was rather enjoying it.”

“Good idea,” Vanyel said. “By the way, if you don’t wish to smell him, you don’t have to. You’ve got control over how you interact with the physical world.”

“Oh, that’s a relief.”

Stefen had eaten four more blackberries when they heard a gasp behind them. There was some fumbling before Stefen and Vanyel were able to see, as Vanyel couldn’t properly look until after Stefen had sat up. When they could see, however, what they saw was a little girl. Clad in the simple dress of a child of the working class, she had no shoes on her feet and tear stains on her cheeks. Her brown hair was tangled, and her brown eyes had been rubbed red. Vanyel realized that not only could she see Yfandes, Stefen, and himself; she could also see the dead bandit.

 _:We won’t hurt you,:_ Vanyel called out immediately. He considered standing up but then decided against it. He wasn’t especially tall, but he’d be taller than the child.

The little girl nodded, her eyes wide. “You’re a Herald?” she gasped at last.

 _:I am,:_ Vanyel Mindspoke, smiling reassuringly at her. _:The dead man was a bandit who would have harmed you.:_

The little girl glanced at him, flapped a hand at the smell, and then nodded again. “I know. That’s Harrad the Horrible.” She peered more closely at Vanyel. “Are you a ghost?”

_:I am. My name is Vanyel. This is my Companion Yfandes and my lover Stefen.:_

The little girl took stock of Stefen, her eyes growing wider. “I’ve heard about you,” she said at last. She looked around furtively. “Daddy doesn’t approve of you. He says what’s fine and dandy for city folks still isn’t right and proper for the Righteous.” She used the sleeve of her dress to wipe away her dirty tears. “I’m Daphne Tanner. Will you help me?”

 _:Of course,:_ Vanyel assured her. _:Are you lost?:_

“Yes,” said Daphne, “but I can’t go home again, and I don’t know what to do.”

 _:Why don’t you start at the beginning?:_ Stefen Mindspoke. Vanyel was briefly taken by surprise, but then he realized that Stefen must have all of the Gifts he had as Tylendel, in addition to those memories.

Daphne looked down at the ground and rubbed a path of dirt with her bare toes. “Juni and I were holding hands and Daddy saw us and he asked what we were doing and it was like his voice was like ice and I told him that I wanted to marry Juni when I was older and he said that I wasn’t a Righteous child and that he was going to take the strap to me until I learned to behave myself properly. So I ran off, and now I’m hungry and thirsty and I don’t know what to do.” Tears threatened to flood her face again.

Vanyel, being a ghost, no longer had a physical heart, but Daphne’s words nevertheless managed to break it. He smiled at her as kindly as he could. _:Let’s start by getting some food in you. There are some delicious blackberries at the edge of this clearing. Why don’t you have some while we think of what to do?:_

As Daphne sniffled and began to pick berries, Vanyel and Stefen switched back over to normal speech. It was not, of course, the type of normal speech that they’d used when they were alive. It was the speech that could only be heard by spirits; Daphne would be unable to overhear.

“She needs a healthy environment to grow up in,” Vanyel said.

Stefen frowned. “I doubt she could stay here.”

“It would be too isolated,” Vanyel agreed.

“I think we need more information.”

Vanyel nodded, but before he could speak, he, Stefen, and Yfandes felt a disturbance in the web of the Forest of Sorrow’s conscience. There was trouble elsewhere.

 _:I’ll go,:_ Yfandes told them. _:You two help her.:_ She turned and trotted off into the woods. Vanyel knew that she’d be at the source of the trouble in seconds.

Vanyel switched over to Mindspeech. _:Daphne, do you mind if we ask you a few questions?:_

“Okay,” Daphne said. “Where did your Companion go?”

_:There is someone else in need of help, so she’s helping them. You mentioned your father. Do you have any other relatives?:_

Daphne looked down. “Mommy died when I was young. She came from a different village; I don’t know which one. Daddy has two brothers, but they wouldn’t help.”

“Does she have any Gifts?” Stefen asked. “If she were Chosen or went to Bardic, that could fix the situation.”

Vanyel assessed her and then shook his head. “No Gifts.”

 _:Do you like music?:_ Stefen asked Daphne. Even if she didn’t have the Bardic Gift, she might still qualify.

“I like music,” Daphne said, “but I’m not very good. Why do you ask?”

_:There’s a school at the capitol you could go to.:_

To the spirits’ surprise, Daphne shook her head vehemently. “I want to be a tanner like Daddy! I don’t want to have to leave. I know I ran away, but I wasn’t thinking.” Tears once more began to well up in her eyes.

 _:You don’t have to go unless you want to,:_ Stefen assured her. He looked helplessly at Vanyel. “Religious order?”

Vanyel made a face. “I’m doubtful, but we could try it.” He switched to Mindspeech. _:What’s the religious order of your village?:_

“The Path of the Righteous,” Daphne answered promptly. “We pray to Vkandis Sunlord and Mother Agnetha.”

“Huh,” Vanyel mused to Stefen. “I’ve never seen those two paired before.” Vkandis had lost popularity in Valdemar after the rise of the Prophet, but it wasn’t a surprise that he still had his faithful, especially so far north.

 _:Could they be of any aid?:_ Stefen asked.

Daphne shook her head. “Daddy’s is also the Priest of Mother Agnetha.” She looked from Vanyel to Stefen pleadingly. “Can’t you just talk to him? Make him understand?”

_:We can try,:_ Vanyel assured her. He turned to Stefen. “If this doesn’t work, we may have to convince her to go to Havens. If I had actual paper and ink, I think I could materialize long enough to get something written. I know she’d be homesick, but Havens needs tanners, too.”

“I’m hoping it doesn’t come to that,” Stefen said. “I have an idea.”

“Oh?”

“I’ve been working on a new song in my head since I got here,” Stefen explained. “I think if I lean on my Bardic Gift, I might be able to convince her father to come around.” 

_:Where do you live?:_ Vanyel asked Daphne.

“Apple Grove,” she answered.

_:I know where that’s at,:_ Vanyel told her. He and Stefen could have gotten to where they were going instantly, but Daphne was going to have to walk, and she didn’t know the way. Therefore, Vanyel walked in front, followed by Daphne, with Stefen bringing up the rear.

Apple Grove was not a large village, and it lay right on the border of the Forest of Sorrows. In fact, most of the village was outside of Vanyel and Stefen’s domain, but a small portion of it could be tread by them. Within these bounds was a large, stone building with statues of stern figured lining the roof. In the distance, they could see the rest of the village, with its buildings made of wood and thatch. Beyond that, they could see farmlands dotted pink and white with the flower of the crop that gave the village its name.

“That’s the Temple of the Righteous,” Daphne whispered, pointing at the stone building. Her face fall when they came around the corner to the front of it and saw the figure standing in the doorway. “And that’s Daddy.”

It was easy to see that he was Daphne’s father, he had the same hair and eyes. But unlike her, he had a forbidding appearance. It wasn’t just that he had the big, muscular arms of one who spends every day working at physical labor. It was the way he glowered at his approaching daughter and took assessment of the two semi-transparent men accompanying her – and the way he gripped the leather strap that he held.

“Consorting with wicked spirits now, are you?” he demanded. He raised the leather strap then.

Vanyel took a step forward. _:There will be none of that. I am Vanyel Ashkevron, and this is my lover Stefen.:_

“Ashkevron,” Stefen added. “Stefen Ashkevron.”

Despite the seriousness of the situation, a smile tugged at the corner of Vanyel’s lips. _:Stefen Ashkevron,:_ he corrected.

Stefen smiled. “Yes, I like how that sounds. And speaking of sounds…” He turned back to Mr. Tanner. _:I’d like you to listen to a song I wrote.:_

“This isn’t the time for music,” Mr. Tanner snapped. “I’m not in the mood to entertain spirits – not even ones who did whatever back in the day.”

“Herald Vanyel saved the country, Daddy,” Daphne piped up. When her father glared at her, she shrank behind Vanyel, who briefly made his hand substantial so that he could pat her shoulder reassuringly. She was a brave little girl, and he was not going to allow her father to beat that out of her.

_:You will listen,:_ Vanyel told Mr. Tanner, _:Or I will drop you into the earth up to your waist and make you listen. Is that understood?:_

Even without Thought-sensing and Empathy, it was clear that Mr. Tanner was reflecting on all the tales he’d heard of miscreants who tread into the Forest of Sorrows with ill intent. He nodded his assent.

_:Good,:_ Stefen said _. :Think you could play the harp?:_ The last bit was directed at Vanyel.

_:Is there a harp I could use?:_ Vanyel asked Daphne. She nodded, darted into the Temple of the Righteous and returned with one. No doubt it was for the Temple orchestra. _:Can you hold it steady for me?:_ Vanyel asked her.

“I’ll do my best,” she told him.

_:What’s the tune?:_ Vanyel asked.

“Here,” Stefen said, “I’ve been wanting to try this.” So it was that Vanyel did not learn the tune through words. Instead, he felt Stefen touch his mind. He dropped his Shields immediately and let Stefen’s gentle, mental caress fill Vanyel with the knowledge of the tune. A slight feeling of emptiness followed when Stefen’s mind touch withdrew, but then Stefen, who had the Gift of Empathy as much as Vanyel did, assured him, “We’ll have to do that more later.” Vanyel smiled. He’d have plenty of opportunities to have Stefen in his mind shortly.

Vanyel started the tune, willing his fingers tips to be material at the exact moment that they touched the harp strings. It took effort, but he found he could manage. He nodded at Stefen, and the Master Bard began to sing. He sang in Mindspeech, but his thoughts lacked none of the beauty of his voice. As he sang, Vanyel felt him put the full strength of his Bardic Gift behind his words. The ballad he sang went like this:

It was long ago and far away

Where no mortal eye could see

Gathered all, the gods threw dice

To see what fortune would be

White was the parchment

Red the words inscribed

A tale of despair and love

A master of dark

A hero so bright

A love so profound

Cast against the night

Here, a stag of red

There, a stag of white

What could surpass their love?

The gods can be unkind

Cruel tests laid before all

The greater the hero

The greater the fall

Blood made the first stag red

Pain made the second stag white

But not even death could end their love

The gods can be moved to mercy

Power was given to the love left behind

The kingdom was saved

By a hero soft and kind

Red was grief in the hero’s eyes

White were the clothes he wore

Loss was the shape of his love

Cried the one who had fallen

I’ve made a mistake

A choice was given

To a new life he did wake

Red were the robes of the Bard

White was the color of his desire

Time was no match for their love

But dark lords will come

As darks lords will do

And heroes will die

When battles ensue

Red was the hero’s blood

Staining the white snow beneath

But not even death could conquer their love

In the Forest of Sorrows

Two stags do roam

Finally, together

Finally, home

When the ballad concluded, it was in Mr. Tanner’s eyes that tears threatened to come. _:Now do you understand?:_ Stefen asked him. _:Do you understand how much your behavior is hurting your daughter?:_

“You make it sound so simple,” Mr. Tanner argued.

_:Is loving your daughter for who she is rather than who you wish she was really that hard?:_ Vanyel asked.

“It’s not just me,” Mr. Tanner protested. “What am I supposed to tell Mr. Harrad when he comes by for the protection money, huh?”

“Harrad the Horrible is dead,” Daphne said. “Herald Vanyel killed him.”

“The boss is dead?” a new voice called. The party turned to see a group of brigands approaching them.

“That’s Harrad the Horrible’s gang,” Daphne whispered to Vanyel.

_:Mr. Tanner, why don’t you take Daphne here into the Temple?:_ Vanyel suggested. _:And cover her ears.:_

“You’re see through,” said the bandit who’d spoken before. He eyed Vanyel dubiously as Daphne and her father slipped into the Temple. “I bet you can’t hurt us.” He gave a cruel chuckle and drew a large knife from his belt. “I bet you can’t do anything to stop us from hurting those two that just tried to run off.”

He was wrong about that. Vanyel let his magical senses explore the earth beneath his feet. Deep, deep down was a vein of lava. He made a path for it to the surface, being careful to only let a trickle out and not cause a full eruption. He willed it to flow around the bandits, to run up their bodies like ants swarming a carcass. The bandits died screaming, and when the lava – now fully encasing their bodies – cooled, their faces were contorted in a countenance of terror, mouths still agape but now silent.

Vanyel let Daphne and her father know that it was safe to come out, and they crept cautiously out of the Temple and assessed the sight before them.

“You turned them into statues!” Daphne gasped.

_:Yes, I did.:_

Mr. Tanner’s face was ashen white. He fell to his knees in front of Vanyel. “You saved us,” he said. “You save the whole town. How can I ever repay you?”

_:I believe that’s what we were discussing before we were interrupted,:_ Vanyel said. _:Now quit groveling. I’m not a god.:_ Mr. Tanner scrambled to his feet.

“But-”

_:But what?:_

“What will the neighbor’s think?”

_:Are you telling me that you have no influence within the community?:_ Vanyel demanded. _:I was informed that you were a priest.:_

Mr. Tanner swallowed hard. “It won’t be easy.”

_:I trust that you can manage.:_

“No more bandits?” Mr. Tanner asked.

_:The Temple of Righteous is under our protection,:_ Vanyel assured him. He nodded at Daphne. _:And if you or anyone else needs us, you need only call for us at the Temple. We’ll hear.:_

“Okay,” Mr. Tanner whispered.

_:Good,:_ Vanyel said. _:Now apologize to your daughter.:_

“I’m sorry,” he told Daphne. “You.” He swallowed hard again. “When you’re older, you and Juni can get married if you want. I’ll even perform the ceremony.”

_:I believe our work here is done then,:_ Stefen said.

_:Remember,:_ Vanyel said. _:If you need us.:_

“I will,” Daphne promised.

With a final wave goodbye, Vanyel and Stefen returned to the clearing where they’d had their picnic. Vanyel smiled at his love. “With that taken care of, I believe that I was in the process of pampering you. What is your desire, _ashke_?”

Stefen grinned at him. “It was lovely hearing you play the harp again, but I seem to recall you also excel at playing the flute.”

“With pleasure,” Vanyel answered, kneeling in the soft grass. He and Stefen hid themselves from mortal eyes then, and Vanyel blocked Yfandes out of his mind. He trusted her to handle any problems that arose while they had some privacy together.

\---

The bandits, now statues of cooled lava, were moved to the roads that led to the village of Apple Grove, to stand as a warning to all who’d disturb the peace of the village. Vanyel and Stefen nevertheless paid a few visits to village over the years, to have a stern talk with stubborn parents who wouldn’t heed Mr. Tanner’s teachings. He had named Vanyel and Stefen the dual Patron Saints of Shaych Children, so youngsters in need always knew who to turn to for help. The parents always came around, albeit sometimes after they’d taken a good, long look at the bandit statues.

Daphne devoted herself to the study of the harp when she wasn’t training in the art of leatherworking. She had to call upon Stefen to get the words and tune of the ballad right, and there was great joy in her the day she mastered it. As Apple Grove was a not a large village, the song never became wildly known, but as the decades passed, rumors circulated of a lost ballad by the great Master Bard Stefen.

In the end, Daphne and Juni didn’t get married. They broke up over something silly the following summer, as was often the way with young love. They remained friends, though, and it was Juni who later introduced Daphne to Amber, the weaver’s daughter from the next town over. When they were grown, Daphne and Amber did get married. True to his promise, Mr. Tanner performed the ceremony right in the heart of the Temple of the Righteous. Yfandes took over guard duties that evening, so that Vanyel and Stefen could attend the wedding reception. It was a delightful night, and if filled Vanyel’s heart with gladness to see multiple shaych couples dancing together without fear of reprisal.

**Author's Note:**

> I really wanted there to be a ballad about Vanyel and Stefen's love, so I did my best to write one.


End file.
